Abstract
A high-quality hydrographic CTD and Argo float data was used to study the property changes along the westward branch of the Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) in the northeast Atlantic between 1981 and 2018. In this period, the temperature and salinity are marked by periods of cooling/freshening and warming/salinification. Since 1981, the MOW properties at the core decreased by −0.015 ± 0.07 °C year−1 and −0.003 ± 0.002 year−1. The different phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) influence the main propagation pathways of the MOW into the North Atlantic basin, thus affecting the trends determined within different NAO-phases. The temperature and salinity show a strong correlation with NAO, with NAO leading the properties by 8 and 7 years, respectively, indicating a delayed response of the ocean to different forcing conditions. A decrease in oxygen concentration (−0.426 ± 0.276 μmol kg−1 year−1) was calculated for the same period; however, no connection with the NAO was found.
Highlights
Introduction the Eastern Limit of theNorthOutflow Water (MOW)
To the west of the Gulf of Cadiz, Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) spreads into the North Atlantic by two main advective-diffusive pathways (Figure 1a): northward, as an eastern boundary undercurrent following the western margin of the Iberian Peninsula into the western European continental slope [3,4]
At the MOW core, the temperature and salinity decreased over the period 1981–2018 (Figure 2a,b)
Summary
Introduction the Eastern Limit of theNorthOutflow Water (MOW). MOW is a high-salinity and warm water mass that enters the Gulf of Cadiz and sinks until it reaches a buoyant depth around 1000 dbar [1,2]. To the west of the Gulf of Cadiz, MOW spreads into the North Atlantic by two main advective-diffusive pathways (Figure 1a): northward, as an eastern boundary undercurrent following the western margin of the Iberian Peninsula into the western European continental slope [3,4]. The north- and westward pathways contribute more to the spreading of MOW into the North Atlantic than the southwestern branch [12], its flow along the Gulf of Cadiz is guided by the local topography [13] and influenced by tides [14]. Bashmachnikov, I.; Nascimento, A.; Neves, F.; Menezes, T.; Koldunov, N.V. Distribution of intermediate water masses in the subtropical northeast Atlantic. In Data Analysis Methods in Physical Oceanography, 3rd ed.; Thomson, R.E., Emery, W.J., Eds.; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2014; pp. 219–311. [CrossRef]
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